Nintendo and Sony are prominent game developers who aim to dominate the video game industry and become gamers’ favorite companies. However, it doesn’t happen overnight, both companies are on their toes to ensure they create better versions and unique features of their consoles to be the best overall.
Nintendo vs Sony: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Nintendo | Sony | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is: | It is one of the leading video game companies based in Japan. | It is a company based in Japan that produces different products such as Electronic products, Financial Services, games and network services, and music for its consumers |
| First Console: | NES | PlayStation |
| Initial Name: | Nintendo Karuta | Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo |
| Conceived: | 23 September 1889 | 7 May 1946 |
| Founders: | Fusajiro Yamauchi | Masaru Ibuka , Akio Morita |
| Console Exclusive: | Game Boy, the SNES, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Switch | Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, Tekken |
| Basic Services: | Nintendo eShop, my Nintendo, Nintendo Switch Online | Advertising agency, banking, credit finance, Financial services, insurance, network services |
| Highest sold console: | Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 2 |
| Technologies Influenced: | Toys and cards, Arcade, home consoles, handheld consoles, Nintendo Switch | Games and Network services, Music, Pictures, Electronics Products and Solutions, Imaging and sensing Solutions, financial services, New Initiatives |
Nintendo vs Sony: 11 Must-Know Facts
- Both companies are based in Japan
- Nintendo was the first company to venture into consoles production
- Nintendo was founded by Fusajiro, while Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded Sony.
- Famicom was the first Nintendo Console, while PlayStation was the first console for Sony.
- Sony introduced its standalone PlayStation after Nintendo ended its contract.
- PlayStation 2 is regarded as the most sold console of all time.
- Sony was to produce a CD-ROM that was compatible with SNES
- Nintendo introduced the Famicom in North America during a severe market crash in 1983.
- Sony was initially called Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Corporation and started as a developer of tape Recorders.
- Nintendo was founded as Nintendo Karuta and started as developers of handmade hanafuda playing cards.
- Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Corporation was rebranded as Sony in 1958.
Nintendo vs Sony: Summary
Nintendo and Sony are top game developers dominating the world with consoles that carry exceptional gameplay. Each company has had its ups and downs, which has led to new developments in the console realm, such as the portable Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation plus, which are backward compatible with previous systems. So, how did Nintendo and Sony become the world’s leading game developers? Here are both companies’ histories.
Nintendo: Full history
Nintendo was founded on September 23, 1889, by Craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi in Japan. It originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards and later tried several businesses such as the cab business. In the 1960s, Nintendo was legally recognized as a public company. After Nintendo attained its legal status, it started producing a prototype of its first console. In 1977, it distributed its first Color TV Game.
Examples of Nintendo’s Consoles:
- Game Boy
- The SNES
- The Nintendo DS
- The Wii
- The Switch
| Pros! | Cons! |
|---|---|
| Has developed a home console and a handheld | Its consoles are weak |
| Its consoles are cheap | Its latest console was released in 2017 |
| It has a classic game library | The Nintendo Switch is not backward compatible |
| Nintendo has wireless gamepads | |
| It has a good gameplay | |
| Nintendo Switch is designed with a tablet | |
| It can support 4K resolution |
Sony: Full history
Sony was started by Masaru Ibuka in 1946 in Japan and started as an electronic shop. On May 7, 1946, Akio Morita joined Masaru to establish their company known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Corporation). Masaru and Akio later developed the first tape recorder in Japan. It rebranded its name from Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo to Sony in 1958. Sony produces many formats and technologies such as video recording, Visual display, audio recording, audio encoding, optical storage, and Flash memory. Sony is also one of the largest console developers in the world, and it has many exclusives for the PlayStation.
Examples of Sony’s consoles:
- Final Fantasy
- Tomb Raider
- Crash Bandicoot
- Gran Turismo
- Tekken
| Pros! | Cons! |
|---|---|
| It has a wide range of game exclusive | It is relatively expensive |
| Its products are compatible with many devices | It doesn’t have a handheld console |
| It has a well-developed gameplay | PS4 and PS5 online Multiplayer is restricted to PS Plus subscribers |
| Sony gamepads are wireless | It doesn’t support PC streaming |
| It has the best online services | The PlayStation has Music limitations |
| It has maintained its Consistency in the console release | It lacks the backward compatibility feature |
| Most third-party game developers favor PlayStation | |
| Sony Supports 4K resolution | |
| PS4 and PS5 have a share button feature |
Nintendo vs Sony: Console Wars
Nintendo and Sony worked together on a project to create a CD-ROM for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Unfortunately, the project collapsed and developed into a rivalry between Nintendo vs. Sony. So, who was to blame? Here is how it all started.
In the late 1980s, The developer of PlayStations, Ken Kutaragi, had the vision to build a video game for Sony. However, It was not possible during that time as Sony would risk falling into bankruptcy. Sony opted to get into a partnership with Nintendo in 1988. The companies got into a contract that allowed Sony to create a CD-ROM compatible with SNES. Sony and Nintendo’s partnership also aimed at increasing the memory size of SNES by 700MBs.
Sony announced its partnership with Nintendo and defined the terms of its contract. A day after Sony’s announcement, many people were eagerly waiting for Nintendo’s statement about its partnership with Sony during the Consumer Electronics Show. However, Nintendo gave a shocking report about its new partnership with Philips. The event was full of answered questions from journalists and the audience, while both companies pointed fingers at each other.
Sony took Nintendo’s action as a betrayal which developed into a rivalry between the two companies. Kutaragi gave a push that ensured Sony fought back. Sony immediately switched from developing an add-on PlayStation and focused on creating a prototype for its standalone PlayStation.
While Sony was struggling to get into video gaming, Nintendo was gaining more popularity with its best console, SNES. Sony struck sooner than Nintendo expected with its launch of a standalone PlayStation on December 3, 1994, in Japan. By 1995, PlayStation was becoming the best overall, while Nintendo struggled to maintain its dominance.
Sony added its console exclusives, including blockbuster titles, the Crash Bandicoot series, and Spyro the Dragon for the PlayStation. The video game market favored Sony, but Nintendo was losing its throne.
In 1996, Nintendo bounced back into the market with its powerful console, Nintendo 64. It became the best overall in America and a gamer’s favorite console in Europe, but PlayStation wasn’t far behind. Later, Nintendo released another successful console, the GameCube, which sold up to 22 million units globally. Sony soon released the PlayStation 2, selling over 155 million units, and it is regarded as the most sold console.
PlayStation 2 proved that Sony was not giving up on the video game market. For Nintendo, it had to develop a better plan to maintain its marketplace. With Microsoft also preparing to venture into home consoles, Nintendo had to find a unique market strategy to satisfy its consumers.
So, Nintendo took a new path in creating the Nintendo Switch. It released the Wii on November 19, 2006, supporting Internet connectivity. On the other hand, Sony focused on creating better specifications for the PlayStation.
Nintendo vs Sony: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Both companies have been successful in creating better gameplay and introducing significant features. Nintendo Switch has a unique two joy-con controller pads which can easily snap onto a touchscreen tablet. Also, Nintendo Switch is a home console and a handheld; hence, gamers can either connect to their TVs or use its tablet.
Although Nintendo Switch gained popularity after its release in 2017, the PlayStation 4 (PS4)has become its biggest rival. Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 with better specifications than Nintendo Switch. PlayStation 4 has a faster CPU of 8 x 1.6GHz, against Nintendo Switch 4 x 2GH. PS4 also has 8GB RAM and 500GB ROM, which is higher than the 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM provided by Nintendo Switch. Therefore, Sony has better specifications than Nintendo and still releases better versions of its console. The PlayStation 5, released in November 2020, has far more features than the Nintendo Switch.